Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson said Monday that his running mate, Bill Weld, is not dropping from the ticket despite a recent rumor he might split over concerns he could throw the race to Donald Trump.
“Bill Weld is in this for the long haul. Beyond my wildest dreams, Bill Weld is my running mate,” Johnson told CNN’s Alisyn Camerota on “New Day.” “No, no chance Bill Weld drops out. We’re in this for the long haul.”
Veteran journalist and CNN contributor Carl Bernstein’s tweet last week that Weld could avoid being a spoiler in the race for Hillary Clinton by dropping out, spurred talk of whether Weld would be quitting the contest.
“Bill Weld could be a hero–instead of a Nader–if he renounces his own Libertarian candidacy and endorses/campaigns for HRC. Stay tuned,” Bernstein tweeted last Friday, in reference to Ralph Nader’s third-party run in 2000.
Bernstein told CNN’s Brian Stelter Sunday that his sources say Weld is “thinking about dropping out of this race if it looks like he and Johnson might get Trump elected.”
Bernstein reported that his sources say Weld is worried about detracting support from Clinton, but Weld called Bernstein’s reporting “wishful thinking” in a statement to CNN.
Johnson and Weld have been polling close to 9% in most national polls, but have struggled to break into the double digits.
But the Presidential Debate Commission alerted Johnson last week that, based on recent national polling, he had not met the 15% threshold to appear onstage with Clinton and Trump at the first presidential debate next week.